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Post by Ventia on Jul 4, 2022 18:24:41 GMT -5
"Yeah, alright."
Armin waited until Porco started getting into his car before turning back to look up the stairs at the door to Annie's house. He started up the few steps and raised his hand to knock on the door, knocking two times before he leaned against the wall, looking back out. Porco seemed to be waiting in the car, watching the doorstep. His face still considerable angry.
Silence followed after the knock, Armin pulled out his phone and flipped through his contacts about to message Annie but then remembered she had blocked him. She hadn't seen any of the messages he sent her for days, weeks even before he stopped a while after the first month that she had been gone. If she ever unblocked him, he hoped the messages wouldn't go through.
Armin rapped his knuckles against her doorframe again, and raised his voice. "Annie, it's me-Armin." He clarified, his voice sounded tired but it lacked the anger he had been speaking to her with since he had seen her that night.
"I don't want to say goodbye like this Annie, can you please talk to me?"
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Jealousy
Jul 4, 2022 19:37:51 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Decoii on Jul 4, 2022 19:37:51 GMT -5
Annie didn’t open because she had originally thought it was Porco. Ignoring the door, she dipped her head under the kitchen sink, rinsing out the sticky residue of blood from the back of her neck and wetting her old shirt to clean her neck.
She turned off the faucet before walking to the living room, opening her still packed suitcase and putting on the first shirt she saw. Pausing, she heard the knock again, followed by Armin’s voice, and against her better judgement walked to the door and opened it.
“Hey,” she stepped to the side and glanced back at Porco before looking back at Armin. She hadn’t expected Porco to let him inside, but once he saw her step aside to let Armin in, he sped away.
“I thought we finished talking…”
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Post by Ventia on Jul 5, 2022 19:25:55 GMT -5
"No but I did decide to stop being a ass." Even though Annie stepped aside for him to come in, Armin felt like he didn't deserve to because of how he had been acting for the last hour or so, still he wasn't going to have her standing by the door for however long this went on for. So he stepped in, walking a few feet before he paused, his eyes quickly scanned her living room and his gaze faltered at seeing her packed suitcase. He swallowed hard before turning around to look at Annie. "Why didn't you let him in?" He asked, his tone neutral as he stared at her profile she looked as exhausted as he felt, her eyes tired and missing the usual spark of fire he was so used to seeing on her. Armin didn't like it and knew he was a big part of the reason why. He wished they could have a redo, for today or even better three months ago on her birthday, but such things didnt exist in the real world. "Never mind, I'm just happy you didn't. I might have just left without saying anything and regretted everything. Annie...I'm sorry okay? About everything, about our 'friends', the way I handled tonight-I was caught off guard but what I said was such a dick move, I got jealous and it tipped my anger over. I know saying sorry doesn't make it better but I am very sorry." His eyes drifted away from her way to stare down at his shoes, "I didn't want to leave without telling you that-and that I still care as well." Armin paused, his throat wanted to close in on itself but he cleared his throat to get the sensation away. "I only want the best for you, you're a good person even if a lot of people around here don't see that." "Anyway, I'll get going now but before I do here." He pulled out the little box he had grabbed from the glovebox just before getting out and held it in his hand towards her. It was a pair of pink stud earrings shaped in a Sakura bloom small enough that it wouldn't be as noticeable since she usually didn't wear jewelry, but Armin had found it and thought Annie would look pretty with them on. "It was your birthday gift I never got around to giving you." He explained when she still didn't move to take the present and dragged his gaze from the floor to look up at her face. ( pic)
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Post by Decoii on Jul 5, 2022 20:27:15 GMT -5
Annie felt unsure of herself. Should she close the door? Move towards him? Maybe she should start apologizing? Thankfully, Armin filled in the silence and as he stared at her, she slowly closed and locked her door. His voice was filled with a gentleness that she once thought she was the only person who would be blessed enough to hear. It was such a stark difference from the detached angry tone he'd talked to her all day with.
She glanced down at the box in his hands, her heart straining with the sudden painful pang of loss. "I-You kept it this whole time?" She asked softly, moving towards him to carefully grab the box and open it. She was surprised with the delicate design of the earrings, even more surprised that she immediately fell in love with it. She'd once told him that she wished she'd be the type of girl to dress prettier and wear jewelry, but it always got in the way and felt inconvenient. She could see herself wearing them forever.
Her throat locked up with a lump of suppressed emotions and Annie's eyes blurred with tears. She hated that she always found herself crying whenever she felt any sort of extreme emotion that took her off guard. She walked towards her coffee table, placing the box down and grabbing an earring to try on, before trying on the second one. It took her a short while to get on, but once she turned towards him, she tucked her hair behind her ear to show them off.
Armin was staring when she turned around, and she quickly turned to close the box, swiping her palm against her eyes to collect her tears before she turned back to him. "I'm sorry. How... How do they look?" She felt insane with how insecure she felt about wearing them and what he'd think, especially with everything else that had happened throughout that night.
She bit her lower lip, glancing down at his feet before moving towards her hallway, where a full sized mirror hung on the wall. The sight of the earrings and how she looked made her smile but she once again felt insane. This time for smiling while crying.
She returned back to Armin, who was still just staring at her. "I... I didn't let him in because he's not the one I want here. I wanted to prove that to you, even if it doesn't matter anymore. I mean, Armin... Did you mean what you said? About how you despise me? About how stupid you feel for..." She let the sentence hang in the air.
She was selfish and hurtful, she wasn't the prettiest person. Not inside or out. But saying it out loud would hurt her too much. She couldn't repeat it, not while being with him in the privacy of her home. A home that only carried cherished memories.
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Post by Ventia on Jul 5, 2022 22:08:05 GMT -5
He felt his broken heart breaking all over again at the sight of her tears, at the extent of her pain-the pain he had caused her with angry words-and lastly the fact that she could still look so happy over a present he had given her. Any last doubts that he had over whether or not Annie still cared went away. Here at her home, where it had always been a safe place for them, all the disillusions that had plague him since her absence fell apart.
"I don't Annie." He grounded out quickly, not wanting to hear his own words thrown back at him, "I..." He looked away, not wanting to meet her eyes as guilt filled him. "I wanted to hurt you, to hurt you the way you hurt me-when in reality my time with you, even when we were just friends, has been the best time of my life. When we got together, I didn't think I could be any happier."
He met her gaze then and raised his hand, brushing his fingers so lightly against her hair, to tuck back a fallen strand as his hand drifted down it paused and brushed across her earlobe and earring. "They look good on you, really. Even though you don't need anything to prove how lovely you are, you have and will always be the most beautiful woman in the room."
His palm cupped her cheek, his thumb wiping away her remaining tears, before he could help it, he bent down and pressed a light kiss to her lips and then pulled away completely from her. His heart was hammering now, he wanted to hold her, to apologize over and over again until she forgave him, until all was right in the world, but there was a void between them now and he wondered if they could ever get pass it.
"Happy belated Birthday Annie." He smiled sweetly at her, before asking: "Do you have any wishes?"
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Post by Decoii on Jul 5, 2022 22:28:49 GMT -5
To go back in time.
That was her wish and she didn't verbalize it because it was impossible. Three months had been too long, under the light of her living room, she felt like she was finally seeing him. As if the last couple of hours had been a blur of things that didn't matter. The months before the break up also didn't matter.
This was who Armin was to her. Gentle and loving. His anger had been something she would have been proud of if it hadn't been directed at her in a way that she felt was unfair. In her house, Neither Armin nor herself could play the victim. They've both been guilty and somehow, despite the pain, it felt even because to Annie, any emotion was better than no emotion.
She looked off to the side, fighting the smile that was forming on her face from embarrassment and failing. She was sure her face was beet red and if anyone else would have been there, they probably would have exploded in anger. "Would my wishes come true if I tell you?" She mumbled, looking back at him and smiling. "If they would, then I'd wish for you to stay. One last time."
A part of her was terrified of the possibility of him seeing her like everyone did. Of him rejecting her, even after he'd kissed her so sweetly. Still, the side that needed this was far stronger and she found herself reaching for his hands while taking a step towards him. Slowly, she placed his hands on her hips and when he didn't pull away, she found the bravery to press against him.
"Stay and tomorrow I'll go."
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Post by Ventia on Jul 6, 2022 16:14:32 GMT -5
Armin felt his shoulders droop in defeat, his arms curving over her small frame hugging her back, leaning his head a bit down to rest his chin on top of her head, careful to not be touching her head injury. He didn't want to hear that she was still leaving in the morning, that she wouldn't stay with him, but he couldn't find it in himself to try and change her mind. Leaving this city didn't seemed all that bad to him anymore if Annie wouldn't be around.
They stayed like that for a while, neither wanting to part after all the long nights they had been apart, holding each other and feeling each other's heartbeat steadily against the other. Their warmth, their scent, every curve and bend they knew it all, and enjoyed in the safe haven they had once been for each other.
Armin rubbed his face against her crown before pulling back, sliding his arms away gently to rub up and down her shoulders. "You should probably not sleep just yet with that wound, have you eaten? We could order something before they close, maybe watch a movie?"
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Post by Decoii on Jul 6, 2022 17:51:04 GMT -5
"I think that sounds like a great idea." She sighed a small happy sigh before pulling away from him. "If you don't mind can you be in charge of the movie? I don't want you to leave the house... If someone saw you here..." Her brows furrowed in frustration, the thought of them having this moment ruined wasn't settling right with her.
"Annie, I'd rather you not go out by yourself..."
"It's okay, I promise. It'll only be a couple of minutes." She didn't want to argue, but her tone was determined. When he hesitated, she pulled away and walked to her suitcase. Going through it to pull out a hoodie. She pulled it on, zipping it up and raising the hood to try to cover her face just in case.
She hated that she felt the need to be like this, but it was a small sacrifice to pay. She gave him a small wave before stepping out and quickly made her way to the gas station at the corner of her block. She ordered her pizza, thankful that they weren't busy. After a couple of minutes of waiting, she grabbed her phone from her back pocket.
Annie had Armin's phone number memorized and it didn't take long for her to text him from her new number. 'You better pick a good movie.' She texted and quickly pressed the sent button before she could regret it. The point of getting a new phone was so that she didn't have contact with any of them. But having Armin be the only person who had it didn't sound like a bad idea.
Ten minutes later she was walking through the door with a freshly made pizza and a bag of drinks and snacks.
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Post by Ventia on Jul 6, 2022 19:58:50 GMT -5
He had sent her a "hurry back" reply and stared down at the new number on his phone screen. He exited out of that conversation and scrolled down to the one with her name, he hadn't had the nerve to delete it despite Eren making it a big deal whenever he was in a mood, yet the motion of his thumb sliding across and hitting the red spot came easily enough. After deleting the old contact he created the new and then placed his phone back in his pocket, a small smile tugging at his lips.
By the time Annie came back, he had The Princess on a pause screen and had looked through Annie's kitchen to find anything they could use. He used to go on groceries runs with her and made sure to buy a few non-perishing foods that would last a while in case she was ever without something to eat. There was indeed some cans and also two packs left of popcorn. He made one and left it in the middle of the table.
Armin got up, he had been sitting for the last minute or so, starting to feel nervous and was glad Annie was safe and back there with him, he relaxed instantly and walked over to grab the bag she was carrying.
"How are you feeling?" He asked her, in terms if she got dizzy or anything during the walk, and led her towards the couch. He placed the bag down and started taking the items out, smiling at her choices. "I'll go grab some ice and plates," he said referring to the drinks and headed towards her kitchen.
Two minutes later and he was taking a spot near her on the couch, the plates set on both sides and then the cups inn the middle so that he could pour them both a drink. He handed Annie the first cup filled with her go-to beer and did the same for himself, he raised it and met her eyes. "To wishes coming true." His eyes softened as he stared at her before taking a long swallow.
"I hear this one is good, girl power and all that." He nodded towards the screen and reached for the remote.
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Post by Decoii on Jul 8, 2022 13:41:07 GMT -5
"Just a bit of a headache, Ymir got me really good." She said lightly, removing her shoes before going over to her room to grab a big blanket for the two of them to share. She moved back towards the couch, wrapping herself under it and turning to watch Armin move about her home.
He was so familiar with everything, it was like he belonged there. The sight of him setting up for their movie was making her chest throb in pain and her eyes tear up.
When he sat next to her, she faked a yawn to cover up the fact that she felt like crying. Grabbing her cup, she gave him a small smile, staring into his eyes before drinking her beer. "girl power, huh?" She gave a small laugh when he grabbed the remote and pressed play, getting up to quickly turn off the lights that he had left on.
As the movie started, she sat down next to him, making sure to leave enough space for him to feel comfortable. Then, she slowly grabbed the blanket and tucked it over his body and hers, smiling when their eyes met.
The start of the movie was interesting and the pizza was good. Once they were done eating and she had served them some more beer, she found the courage to move a little closer to him.
"I want to hold your hand... Or even kiss you but I'm scared you'll reject me and I don't want to ruin this."
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Post by Ventia on Jul 9, 2022 21:42:31 GMT -5
"I don't want to ruin this either," he said gently and moved to wrap his arm over her shoulders, pulling her a little closer until she was snug next to his body with each enough space that they could still look at each other comfortably. Armin wasn't sure if kissing and everything else was a good idea considering they technically weren't a couple anymore and she would be leaving in the morning, but he didn't really seem to mind.
All Armin cared about was that she was there with him now, as though she had never left, and he wanted to hold her and kiss her as they had for countless nights. "Just let me know if it becomes too much, okay?" His other hand found hers under the blanket and he slowly laced their fingers together, easing them up to press a quick kiss against her wrist.
"I wish time could stand still right now..." He said a bit shyly, the redness from his blushing and beer showing right up to the tips of his ears. He smiled lazily, fully relaxed now that they were cuddled close and touching, and wishing the moment would last for eternity.
"I've missed you baby." His next words were as soft as they were true.
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Post by Decoii on Jul 10, 2022 20:54:05 GMT -5
Annie couldn't fight back the wide smile that immediately fell on her lips when he said he missed her. Especially when he called her baby. It was a pet name used only in privacy, one that always swarmed her stomach with butterflies and made her too shy for her own good.
Annie let out a small squeal, wrapping her arms around Armin's side and burying her face in his side while curling up against him. "Stop." She said with a laugh, as she usually would when he would use that tone with her. Gentle and warm, filled with honesty and sometimes command.
Sighing, she looked up at him, her face scarlet red. Then, as the movie played in the background, she shifted to lay on his lap bridal style, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his neck, inhaling his scent.
"Baby..." She trailed her nose lightly up and down the length of the side of his neck. "I've missed you too." She hesitated briefly before placing light kisses up and down his neck. "So much." Another light kiss, "I've missed your smell. How you feel. How you taste. Your voice." She paused between words, hands scratching lightly at his nape as she continued to kiss between pauses.
"I'm so sorry I ran away. I'm so sorry I'm running away. I just want to make things easier. For you. For me."
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Post by Ventia on Jul 15, 2022 15:44:58 GMT -5
"No no Annie, I should have tried harder, I should have ran after you-wherever you were-and not stop searching for you until I found you. I should have harassed your friends until they gave me some information, I always thought they knew more than what they said but I didnt push for it-I should have." He rubbed his hands over her back, anywhere actually, that he could touch and hug her back.
He kissed her cheek, her nose, the side of her neck, her forehead, all between her kisses and her sweet words, "I'm the one who's sorry, sorry that Eren's always being a ass, that I let girls get too close-I dont really notice sometimes because I don't see them in that light, but I'll be better at maintaining boundaries, I don't want to make you feel less of yourself, when you're the most wonderful girl in my eyes." He cupped her cheek, brushing his thumb against her soft skin, his eyes darkening only for a second at the sight of her bandage and the spot of blood still showing. He would have a talk with Ymir and Historia for that, he thought but pushed those to the side, only wanting to be in this moment with Annie.
"I'm sorry I got jealous, I'm sorry for acting like a ass back at that party, for hitting the wall and saying those things-when all I wanted to do was ask you if you still loved me and kiss you, making up for lost time. I've been a mess since you've been gone Annie, I don't know how to live without you anymore, without you I feel empty and angry all the time, like there's no point in getting up from bed, there's nothing fun to do, I could barely read a book while you were gone," he laughed, shaking his head, before smiling and shrugging all at the same time.
"You're my everything, you became my entire purpose, this summer has been hell without you, and I'm not willing to go through that ever again." He pressed his forehead against hers and wrapped his arms around her tiny shoulders, hugging her softly, "I love you Annie, I still do, I always will." Armin said before slanting his face, going to kiss her, he paused a fraction from her lips and it was Annie that moved that last inch to complete the kiss.
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Post by Decoii on Jul 15, 2022 20:06:23 GMT -5
Annie pulled away from their heated kiss to catch her breath and Armin used the opportunity to dry the falling tears from her cheeks. She hadn't even registered that she was crying until he'd done so. All the pent up hurt and anger she'd felt for those three months finally came to the surface and she was left sobbing.
"I'm sorry did I say something wrong?" Armin pulled the blanket off of her, shifting her so he could hold her closer to him. "Annie?" But she simply curled up tighter, sucking in deep breaths so that she could try to reign her feelings in.
She turned her face to look at him, giving a small shrug as she laughed. "I've always been a weakling for all this sappy heartfelt shit." Her voice sounded raw, and he hated dragging those intense emotions out of her.
"I mean it, Annie. I should have done more- I should have done better."
As her sobs relaxed into small snuffles, she dried her eyes and straightened on his lap. Letting out a small laugh, puffy eyes refusing to meet his.
"You could have lightened up on the public humiliation at least." She was clearly trying to make a joke, but it wasn't one Armin took too well from the frown on his face to the way he tightened his grip on her. But before he could apologize again, she snuffled and laid her head on his chest.
"I love you too and it's been shit for me too but what can we do? What can I do? I- I don't want you to lose all your friends because of me and I don't want to put more shit on your plate that you don't have to deal with." Her eyes glossed over with fresh tears and she hated that she was always so sensitive when it came to love. When it came to him.
Why couldn't she just do better?
"I missed when no one knew. When it was just the two of us." But before she could burst out into tears again, she pulled away from him and stood up. Pacing back and forth while hiding her face. "This is so stupid, why do I have to be like this? I don't know what to do Armin. I love you and I don't know what to do anymore. I just want to be with you, I want to be happy again but I can't do this anymore."
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Post by Ventia on Jul 16, 2022 18:58:42 GMT -5
"Cant do what anymore Annie?" Armin momentarily stunned could only watch her from the couch, he knew they were both very vulnerable at the moment, that at any moment they could break and spiral downward, but so soon? Then it hit him, of course it was too much for Annie, it was all happening so fast from the party and the fight, to them kissing the next moment acting like nothing had changed and they were the same people they were three months ago, when they weren't.
Three months of being alone, left with only their thoughts, getting a feel of how it would be like without the endless teasing and rude comments from the crowd, only to step into it all over again the second they were back. Was this going to keep happening to them if they stayed here? Annie said she was going to leave in the morning, but if even the thought of staying-for him-sent her into a low, then she shouldn't stay.
"Annie, you're thinking of transferring schools aren't you?" She had brought it up a few times in passing but Armin never thought she was that serious, he had been wrong. If only he was smarter and picked up on that, he only tried lessening the burden, never removing it out completely of their situation.
"You should," he was getting up, moving over to her to stop her in her tracks, she still hid her face from him, her body shaking, it ate at him. "We should. Let's get the hell out of this town, forget everyone and finish at MU. We can be happy again, if that's what you want too baby."
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